Penn State 87, Campbell 76: Slow Start, Slow Finish

Penn State came into a game they thought they’d cruise in, but Campbell had other plans. The Camels owned the Nittany Lions on the glass, and led by as many as five in the first half. Penn State did settle, but still struggled with rebounding in the second half.

While Penn State struggled rebounding, they were exceptional at what they do, which is turning their opponent over. Campbell had 12 turnovers in the first half alone, but stayed in the game with their ability to attack the glass and clean up the rebounds.

As the game wore on, the Lions, who had missed their first five three-point opportunities, started making their shots, and little by little, coupled with the turnovers, started building the lead they expected to have in the first half.

All that said, every time Penn State threatened to blow the game open, Campbell took the double-digit lead and shrunk it down to single digits. The Lions, who started to turn up the defense as the first half closed, saw their turnover luck diminish as the game closed, allowing the Camels to stick around. They closed the deficit to as little as five points, but the Lions were able to hold on in the end.

Player of the Game

Josh Reed – 16 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

We didn’t know what to expect when Reed transferred to Penn State, but it’s starting to become clear what kind of role he’s going to have with the team. The guard came up big in three different occasions when the Lions sorely needed a spark, two of which were three-point shots when the lead was starting to slip away.

Random Observations

Uh oh – Big Ten teams have to be salivating at this game tape. Campbell ate at the glass, and a lot of Big Ten teams are going to eat if they don’t fix it soon.

That was ugly – The second half was gnarly once Campbell stopped turning the ball over. Let’s hope this is the clunker.

Silver lining – Looks like the team is starting to settle down at the foul line, as the Lions went a more respectable 22-25 in this game.

You don’t need a three now – my favorite saying by an announcer.

Looking Ahead

Penn State takes. a break from the non-conference to get into the gauntlet that is their opening conference slate. The Lions face the first of their five straight ranked conference foes on